Valve announces plans to add non-gaming applications to Steam saying they are set to launch their first set of "software" (what does that make games?) titles to the service on September 5th:

Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the first set of Software titles are heading to Steam, marking a major expansion to the platform most commonly known as a leading destination for PC and Mac games.

The Software titles coming to Steam range from creativity to productivity. Many of the launch titles will take advantage of popular Steamworks features, such as easy installation, automatic updating, and the ability to save your work to your personal Steam Cloud space so your files may travel with you.

More Software titles will be added in an ongoing fashion following the September 5th launch, and developers will be welcome to submit Software titles via Steam Greenlight.

"The 40 million gamers frequenting Steam are interested in more than playing games," said Mark Richardson at Valve. "They have told us they would like to have more of their software on Steam, so this expansion is in response to those customer requests."

The Windows Store is seemingly innocuous but could just be the first step towards giving MS more control over the PC market. For example, they could require that any applications designed for Windows be made available on the Windows Store.

Yeah there's nothing innocuous about the Windows Store. Microsoft controls it and judging by their heavy hand with the XBL platform we're all in for a bumpy ride. It's a huge land grab, they are trying to force adoption of the platform because they fucked up in the mobile markets several times. So to shortcut their way to competition they are trying to push desktop users onto a larger overall platform where they can leverage them into other segments. There's a reason they are removing boot to desktop code (they know pc folks will setup casual computers that way) and under pinned Metro into everything. You connect a monitor and get Metro side panels. Want to restart the PC? Metro. Miss the close button by a pixel or two? Metro charms bar. Left side? Metro task manager. Change file assocations? Metro. You simply can't get away from it which is why the folks who think Start 8 will solve their woes confuse me, they don't even seem to have used Windows 8 and fully appreciate what's going on.

Jerykk wrote on Aug 8, 2012, 23:59:The Windows Store is seemingly innocuous but could just be the first step towards giving MS more control over the PC market. For example, they could require that any applications designed for Windows be made available on the Windows Store.

They are halfway there already. With the insertion of one word, your statement has already come true:They already "require that any METRO applications designed for Windows be made available on the Windows Store."

Dev wrote on Aug 8, 2012, 23:09:Edit: I'm not sure steam allows a credit card to purchase on more than 1 account.

Valve doesn't admit this on its support website, but the limit is two Steam accounts with the same credit card. On any subsequent accounts you will immediately receive a generic denial message that your credit card is over the limit even when the card is not actually over the limit. Calling your credit card company will confirm this. By the way this limit also proves that Valve stores and tracks credit cards indefinitely as it doesn't matter how much time has transpired between purchase attempts with the same card. It also doesn't matter if you don't check the option box to remember the credit card information for the account. If you try to use a single credit card for purchases on more than two accounts, it will be automatically denied.

killer_roach wrote on Aug 9, 2012, 01:39:PayPal, maybe?

I never tried it with PayPal. I assume the limit would still be two Steam accounts to the same payment method though.

For comparison's sake Amazon has no such limit on its accounts for digital media, software, and games. You can have as many accounts as you want all using the same credit card.

I have 3 steam accounts. One for me, one for each of my kids. I use the same CC across the board and have never had problems. Sometimes I use PayPal, too, and that has never been an issue either.

Dev wrote on Aug 8, 2012, 23:09:Edit: I'm not sure steam allows a credit card to purchase on more than 1 account.

Valve doesn't admit this on its support website, but the limit is two Steam accounts with the same credit card. On any subsequent accounts you will immediately receive a generic denial message that your credit card is over the limit even when the card is not actually over the limit. Calling your credit card company will confirm this. By the way this limit also proves that Valve stores and tracks credit cards indefinitely as it doesn't matter how much time has transpired between purchase attempts with the same card. It also doesn't matter if you don't check the option box to remember the credit card information for the account. If you try to use a single credit card for purchases on more than two accounts, it will be automatically denied.

killer_roach wrote on Aug 9, 2012, 01:39:PayPal, maybe?

I never tried it with PayPal. I assume the limit would still be two Steam accounts to the same payment method though.

For comparison's sake Amazon has no such limit on its accounts for digital media, software, and games. You can have as many accounts as you want all using the same credit card.

Dev wrote on Aug 8, 2012, 23:09:Edit: I'm not sure steam allows a credit card to purchase on more than 1 account. I think you'd have to gift them all from 1 central account which would be the wrong thing for a paranoid, because they could find out who you gifted to. Or maybe use gamestop steam gift cards.

Closed Betas wrote on Aug 8, 2012, 22:34:You just stated you wanted to use Steam for DRM free software..

No, I stated that I would buy media on Steam if it was DRM free. If you had read my earlier posts you would have seen that I was actually critical of Steam's DRM. But if you'd prefer to just make stuff up and attack me for it then go ahead... whatever gets you off.

WaltC wrote on Aug 8, 2012, 22:24:Gabe's Win8 apocalyptic rant was really over the top, even for Newell (who is frequently over the top.) It's funny how development companies love to build their multimillion dollar businesses on top of the platform that Microsoft provides in Windows, but just let Microsoft stick its nose in there and offer them a bit of competition--which always benefits consumers--and watch 'em bitch & moan & complain and even sometimes run to the government, tail between their legs. Even the folks you would think would have plenty of confidence get really rattled by the possibility of Microsoft competition--or, at least they act like it. :o

Not sure if serious..? MS has an established history of anti-competitive practices. Just look at the Xbox. They pay millions of dollars for timed DLC exclusivity. Also, if you release a game on PS3 and then try to port it to X360, MS will reject it. Being concerned that they'll try to pull the same shit on PC is perfectly reasonable. The Windows Store is seemingly innocuous but could just be the first step towards giving MS more control over the PC market. For example, they could require that any applications designed for Windows be made available on the Windows Store.

Closed Betas wrote on Aug 8, 2012, 22:37:I just figured out how to get around Steam stupid policiesDon't see where it says one account per person.

Get a domain.... Make Emailsrift@mydomain.c0mghostreconwarrior@mydomain.c0mmyfreegame@mydomain.c0m

For every software you buy create a new steam account... LOL

That way if you get in argument... they can only hurt that one piece of software.

Yeah, I'll pass. 500 steam accounts for my 500 games, and plus, I'd have to have 500 entries on each of my friends lists (I think steam only allows like 250) for just me.

If you are that paranoid about it, have fun.

Edit: I'm not sure steam allows a credit card to purchase on more than 1 account. I think you'd have to gift them all from 1 central account which would be the wrong thing for a paranoid, because they could find out who you gifted to. Or maybe use gamestop steam gift cards.

Closed Betas wrote on Aug 8, 2012, 19:02:Ugh Steam is DRM, lol. And when your first issue arises with them and they ban your entire account of 400 titles, don't come here crying.Or if your computer gets hacked and they run a cheat and you get banned.. Don't come here crying, or when your 9 year old decides he wants to install a aim bot... And Steam locks your entire account. Dont come here crying. Or when Steam, decides on issueing new terms that you can't agree too... Please note, you can't even uninstall the software without accepting the terms.

I'm well aware that Steam includes a form of DRM. As for the rest of your statement, I've been using Steam for over 7yrs and none of that stuff has ever happened to me or anyone I know. There's definitely room for improvement but your whining doesn't match reality.

You just stated you wanted to use Steam for DRM free software..Stating you facts is whining? Don't know anyone? Now you do know someone who has had issues with them... ME.

Have a piece of cheese, cuz whining I will do. People who can't handle the whine are todays problems, lets just sweep the problem over there bob, i dont want to here the truth today.. Sorry you're soft, but maybe you should turn off the internets in that case..

DarkCntry wrote on Aug 8, 2012, 17:18:It's really no less a piece of crap than, say, Win7. What is a problem is Metro, but alas, that's easily fixed.

As I see it, Gabe's whole rant on Win8 had to do solely with the 'walled garden' issue he had with the store Microsoft intended on adding, and thanks to this announcement, it makes plenty of sense why he's upset, it's direct competition.

I agree--I've been running the Win8x64 RP released in May alongside Win7x64 in a dual-boot config--and so far, so good.(Release Preview is much newer than the Customer Release build Microsoft released several months ago.) What I think is great is that Microsoft knows it's going to have somewhat of a tough sell for Win8 simply because Win7 is so good and people are a long way from being "tired" of Win7, and Win7 still has *years* of usefulness left in it--so therefore Microsoft will be selling the *top* version of Win8 (the Pro version), including the Win8 Media Player, for $39.95 in a direct download! For Microsoft, that price for a brand-new OS release is history in the making, so I'm in!

As far as Metro goes--for me it's simply that Win8 provides a start page instead of a start menu, and playing around with it I've found it to be much more flexible than the Win7 start menu--which I only use about 5% of the time, anyway. But as you say it is a moot point since there is already a freeware Start menu replacement package available for Win8 that reportedly works just fine. There will be a lot more of those fairly soon I'm sure. The standard Windows desktop in Win8 is just as available and useful as it is Win7, imo.

Gabe's Win8 apocalyptic rant was really over the top, even for Newell (who is frequently over the top.) It's funny how development companies love to build their multimillion dollar businesses on top of the platform that Microsoft provides in Windows, but just let Microsoft stick its nose in there and offer them a bit of competition--which always benefits consumers--and watch 'em bitch & moan & complain and even sometimes run to the government, tail between their legs. Even the folks you would think would have plenty of confidence get really rattled by the possibility of Microsoft competition--or, at least they act like it.

I think Newell is dead wrong--I think Microsoft will use the Microsoft store to close off the Windows phone and tablet software markets, mainly for security purposes, but unlike Apple, Microsoft is not going to insist that its general Windows PC software also be run through the Microsoft store. I think that for PCs it will pretty much be business as usual.

If developers want to channel their PC wares through the Microsoft store they'll have the option of doing that. Or, I'm sure they can channel their wares through Steam and the Microsoft store and retail outlets and any other direct-download services they may want to use, simultaneously. IE, nobody will be locked into the Windows store on the PC side of the fence, and I doubt developers much mind who they give their 30% to, be it retail outlet chains, Steam, or Microsoft, or all three. So I think that what Newell's worried about is the chance that Microsoft is going to offer developers some very attractive perks that their 30% will buy them through the Windows store in terms of services that directly benefit their software--services that it's very likely Valve, and maybe nobody else, is presently offering developers. Microsoft is indeed a tough competitor, but as I say, that kind of competition always benefits the consumer in both the short and long runs, imo.

I can understand Newell being afraid of Microsoft entering Steam's market segment as a competitor--but geez--I don't think I would have told the whole world just how afraid of Microsoft's competition I am! I mean, if he becomes even more frightened, will we have to hear about Gabe peeing his pants, too?

It is well known that I do not make mistakes--so if you should happen across a mistake in anything I have written, be assured that I did not write it!

A Steam user since HL2 here, and I got locked out from my Steam account 9 months ago for using a particular mobile phone browser for Steam purchase (Steam Mobile wasn't available at that time). When I asked the support when I could get my account back, they said the lock was permanent; I realized I just lost 300 of my games. It was dreadful.With a help of my friend I found Steam staffs' forum account, and literary had to beg to get my account back.

During that time I read the posts of guys who also locked out of their account permanently. There was a guy who lost his account due to someone gift him a game and its payment had an issue.